editorNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94Elise Hu is an award-winning correspondent assigned to NPR's newest international bureau, in Seoul, South Korea. She's responsible for covering geopolitics, business and life in both Koreas and Japan. She previously covered the intersection of technology and culture for the network's on-air, online and multimedia platforms.Hu joined NPR in 2011 to coordinate the digital development and editorial vision for the StateImpact network, a state government reporting project focused on member stations.Before joining NPR, she was one of the founding reporters at The Texas Tribune, a non-profit digital news startup devoted to politics and public policy. While at the Tribune, Hu oversaw television partnerships and multimedia projects; contributed to The New York Times' expanded Texas coverage and pushed for editorial innovation across platforms.An honors graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia's School of Journalism, she previously worked as the state political reporter for KVUE-TV inNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94Elise HuTue, 22 Nov 2016 16:22:11 +0000Elise Huhttp://redriverradio.org
Elise HuJapan has the dubious title of the oldest society in the world, with one in four of its citizens past the age of 65. And while the image of the elderly is typically of sweet grandparents, in Japan, senior citizens are committing petty crimes like shoplifting in bigger numbers than teenagers.Inside the office of a private security firm in Tokyo are video monitors that take up the entire wall, bisected into 16 boxes showing various camera angles on a nearby business.Mochizuku Morio shows us a live feed of a grocery store that's a few blocks away. He and his private security company are hired by stores across Japan to consult on crime prevention tactics, and if needed, to add some extra electronic eyes on their shops. So he's seen firsthand the trend taking hold over the past few years."Baby boomers are the ones that commit crimes these days," he says. "Shoplifters are grandmas and grandpas in their 70s and 80s."Sharp rise in crime by the elderlyArrests of Japan's elderly for criminalGolden Years, Iron Bars: Japan Sees Rise In Crime By The Elderlyhttp://redriverradio.org/post/golden-years-iron-bars-japan-sees-rise-crime-elderly
86162 as http://redriverradio.orgTue, 22 Nov 2016 14:45:00 +0000Golden Years, Iron Bars: Japan Sees Rise In Crime By The ElderlyElise HuA swirling cronyism scandal continues to grip South Korea, where prosecutors announced Sunday that the president is a suspect in a criminal fraud investigation that's already ensnared her close friend and senior aides. President Park Geun-hye made history, becoming the first sitting South Korean president to be a suspect in a criminal investigation.Mass demonstrations against the president have continued across the country. For the fourth weekend in a row, hundreds of thousands of South Koreans crowded the streets of central Seoul with a simple demand: Step down."I think Park clearly thinks that she can ride it out," says David Kang, who heads the Korea Studies Institute at the University of Southern California. He believes she'll try to hang on, as she's immune from criminal indictment until she's out of office. But the corruption scandal has driven her approval rating to 5 percent — the lowest in Korean presidential history."We'll see whether she can actually survive another 12S. Korean President Named As A Criminal Suspect In Cronyism Scandalhttp://redriverradio.org/post/s-korean-president-named-criminal-suspect-cronyism-scandal
86102 as http://redriverradio.orgMon, 21 Nov 2016 10:03:00 +0000S. Korean President Named As A Criminal Suspect In Cronyism ScandalElise HuCopyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit MARTIN, HOST: Now to South Korea, where a leadership crisis continues and the biggest demonstrations in decades have been going on for weeks. Demonstrators are calling on President Park Geun-hye to step down due to questions about her role in a corruption and cronyism scandal. And today, prosecutors identified President Park as a criminal suspect. NPR's Elise Hu has been following the story, and she's with us now from Seoul. Elise, thanks so much for speaking with us. ELISE HU, BYLINE: Happy to be here. MARTIN: Elise, what are investigators suggesting President Park did, and is there more they want to know? HU: Right, yes. They want to know sort of the degree to which she was maybe complicit in this wide scandal. President Park has a year left in her term, and she was elected on promises of anti-corruption. But now her administration is engulfed. She's admitted to giving confidential state documents to a longtime friend and spiritual adviser. ThatProsecutors To Investigate South Korean President In Corruption Scandalhttp://redriverradio.org/post/prosecutors-investigate-south-korean-president-corruption-scandal
86093 as http://redriverradio.orgSun, 20 Nov 2016 22:09:00 +0000Prosecutors To Investigate South Korean President In Corruption ScandalElise HuHundreds of thousands of South Koreans from across the country crammed into the major thoroughfare of central Seoul on Saturday, in an organized and peaceful protest against the embattled president, Park Geun-hye.The crowd of at least 500,000 people, according to Reuters, held candles and signs reading "Resign," sang pop songs and patriotic numbers, and marched together toward the Blue House, the presidential home and office complex."It's an explosion of their feelings," demonstrator Jinwon Kim says of the crowds. "People are very angry."Park has twice-apologized for a ballooning scandal that revealed her friend of four decades, Choi Soon-sil, who is the daughter of a self-proclaimed cult leader, was getting advance policy information and speeches with which to advise the president on a range of state affairs. Choi had no government experience or official position, and she is said to have been doing her counseling in secret. Investigators have charged Choi with abuse of power and fraudAt Least 500,000 Seoul Protesters Demand Korean President Resignhttp://redriverradio.org/post/least-500000-protest-seoul-demanding-korean-presidents-resignation
85705 as http://redriverradio.orgSat, 12 Nov 2016 14:35:00 +0000At Least 500,000 Seoul Protesters Demand Korean President ResignElise HuIn an English-language class at Seoul's Kookmin University, students practice conversation by discussing current events. And the election of Donald Trump is a global current event that's shaken them up."In Korean, dey-bak means something happened unexpected," says Youjin Lee.Such as the unexpected result of the American election. It brings big uncertainty for U.S. foreign policy around the globe, including Northeast Asia. During the campaign, Trump argued that alliance partners don't pay their fair share for U.S. military bases in their countries and suggested he could pull them out."We defend Japan. We defend Germany. We defend South Korea. We defend Saudi Arabia. We defend countries. They do not pay us what they should be paying us because we are providing a tremendous service and we're losing a fortune," Trump said during the first presidential debate.In truth, South Korea and Japan have both paid billions over the years to support the bases within their borders. And America hasJapan And South Korea Rattled By Trump's Talk Of Closing U.S. Baseshttp://redriverradio.org/post/japan-and-south-korea-rattled-trumps-talk-closing-us-bases
85611 as http://redriverradio.orgThu, 10 Nov 2016 20:33:00 +0000Japan And South Korea Rattled By Trump's Talk Of Closing U.S. BasesElise HuAs if the presidential cronyism scandal gripping South Korea couldn't get any more soap-operatic, it turns out the shadowy ties between Korea's future president and a self-proclaimed shaman were actually dramatized in a Korean mini-series, or "K-drama," in the 1990s.The story of President Park Geun-hye's ties to a mysterious family with unorthodox and varied religious links is riveting South Korea. It's led to calls for her ouster and the lowest approval ratings of any president since the country democratized in 1987.Park is suspected of giving Choi Soon-sil, a friend of four decades with no official post, extensive access and decision-making power in government affairs, and paving a way for Choi to rake in millions as a result.Choi is now in jail on charges of abuse of power and fraud, and so are a handful of presidential aides, who are also under investigation. But as the influence-peddling accusations fly, so are the rumors about how much religion and superstition played a role inS. Korean President's 'Rasputin' Was Once Part Of A Soap Opera Storylinehttp://redriverradio.org/post/s-korean-presidents-rasputin-was-once-part-soap-opera-storyline
85385 as http://redriverradio.orgMon, 07 Nov 2016 12:50:00 +0000S. Korean President's 'Rasputin' Was Once Part Of A Soap Opera StorylineElise HuSouth Korea's President Park Geun-hye dumped her prime minister and finance chief Wednesday amid a widening abuse of power scandal that's threatening her job. The scandal involves a secret adviser, Choi Soon-sil, who is suspected of wielding tremendous influence on the president and enriching herself as a result.In and around Seoul's Gwanghwamun, a central square where ongoing protests take place, demonstrators show up to demand the president resign."I think people must feel baffled and angry, because our democracy and our power has gone," says Junhee Lee, who demonstrated against Park over the weekend.Voters elected Park four years ago, but now they fear they unknowingly elected someone else along with her. News is mounting that Choi, an old friend of the president, has been a quiet center of power in Seoul all along.Despite having no official government ties, Choi is accused of counseling the president on everything from her wardrobe to the national budget and North Korea policy, andHer Job At Risk, S. Korea President Reshuffles Cabinet As Scandal Widenshttp://redriverradio.org/post/her-job-risk-s-korea-president-reshuffles-cabinet-scandal-widens
85139 as http://redriverradio.orgWed, 02 Nov 2016 14:15:00 +0000Her Job At Risk, S. Korea President Reshuffles Cabinet As Scandal WidensElise Huhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZrBDi-3ZeQ A political scandal on a scale that South Korea has never seen is putting the president's job in jeopardy. A public opinion survey released Tuesday shows President Park Geun-hye's approval rating at 10 percent, an unprecedented low. Over the weekend, as many as 30,000 South Koreans flooded into Seoul's downtown to rally for her resignation.All of this is over Park's reliance on a spiritual adviser, Choi Soon-sil, who may have been meddling in state affairs."How was this kept such a big secret for four years?" says Joung Hwang, a law professor at Korea's Hangkuk University of Foreign Studies.Choi, who has no official ties to government, has allegedly been calling the shots for the president behind the scenes on matters ranging from her wardrobe to North Korea policy to the national budget. Choi's family, which is linked to a shamanistic cult, befriended Park in the 1970s with claims it could channel voices from the president's dead mother."ThisPressure Mounts On S. Korean President Over Her Spiritual 'Puppetmaster'http://redriverradio.org/post/pressure-mounts-s-korean-president-step-down-amid-scandal
85072 as http://redriverradio.orgTue, 01 Nov 2016 09:09:00 +0000Pressure Mounts On S. Korean President Over Her Spiritual 'Puppetmaster'Elise HuTens of thousands demonstrated in cities across South Korea on Saturday, demanding President Park Geun-hye step down from office. Her approval rating has hit an unprecedented low of 14 percent and Park's ordered all 10 of her senior aides to resign, following revelations an unelected, unappointed confidant was receiving advance copies and altering dozens of confidential policy speeches. They have led to charges that the friend is a secret "puppet master" and the real power behind "the throne."President Park apologized to the country in a rare nationally-televised address this week. She said she sought her old friend's opinion only in the early part of her presidency, before her staff was in place.It goes beyond tinkering with speeches, however. This scandal involves not only tens of millions of dollars and charges of influence-peddling, but of spiritual guides from a "Shamanistic prophet," voices from the dead and — wait for it — dressage, the competitive form of horse-dancing.Okay.Swirling Scandal Involving Shamanistic Cult Threatens S. Korean Presidenthttp://redriverradio.org/post/swirling-scandal-involving-shamanistic-cult-threatens-s-korean-president
84963 as http://redriverradio.orgSat, 29 Oct 2016 12:12:00 +0000Swirling Scandal Involving Shamanistic Cult Threatens S. Korean PresidentElise HuIt's the most pressing problem, but fire-prone phones aren't the only challenge facing the world's leading seller of mobile phones. In Samsung's home country of South Korea, the conglomerate was already feeling the heat from investors, who want to streamline its complicated corporate structure, and from critics, who say it's not changing from its previously top-down, "militaristic" ways.In South Korea, Samsung's next moves matter. That South Koreans call their country the "Republic of Samsung" is no exaggeration. The conglomerate's electronics are known around the world, but in Seoul, Samsung is also behind everything from baked goods to ship-building to life insurance."You can live your entire life here from cradle to the grave on Samsung products," says Geoffrey Cain, a journalist and author with a forthcoming book about the company and its many businesses. "You can die [and] go to the Samsung morgue when you're dead. You can get married at the Samsung wedding hall in the company.In S. Korea, Samsung's Recall Troubles Come At An Already Crucial Momenthttp://redriverradio.org/post/s-korea-samsungs-recall-troubles-come-already-crucial-moment
84437 as http://redriverradio.orgTue, 18 Oct 2016 09:00:00 +0000In S. Korea, Samsung's Recall Troubles Come At An Already Crucial MomentElise HuCup Noodles, the dorm-room staple that cooks in three minutes, turns 45 this month. There's no better place to celebrate than its very own museum in Yokohama, Japan."This is the museum that really honors the creator of instant ramen and Cup Noodles," says museum manager Yuya Ichikawa, who leads me on a tour.Here you'll find a floor-to-ceiling display of every flavor of instant ramen put out since the mid-20th century; a kitchen to prepare fresh ramen noodles; a sprawling assembly line — reservations required — to create your own Cup Noodles concoction to take home.And, of course, the place is filled with tributes to the Cup Noodles creator — a man named Momofuku Ando.Ando first came up with instant ramen noodles while working in a backyard shed in 1958. Before then, ramen noodles couldn't be stored or cooked quickly — only bought fresh and served after a long boil. Ando devoted himself to figuring out how to take cooked noodles and dry them out to preserve them so they could cook'Cup Noodles' Turns 45: A Closer Look At The Revolutionary Ramen Creationhttp://redriverradio.org/post/cup-noodles-turns-45-closer-look-revolutionary-ramen-creation
83626 as http://redriverradio.orgThu, 29 Sep 2016 08:48:00 +0000'Cup Noodles' Turns 45: A Closer Look At The Revolutionary Ramen CreationElise HuThe U.S. is targeting a Chinese company and the people who run it for allegedly helping North Korea with its nuclear weapons program. It closely follows the North's fifth nuclear test, which took place earlier this month."Each new nuclear test...spurs this kind of scramble to do something," says John Delury, a professor of international relations at Seoul's Yonsei University. "And sanctions is the kind of preferred choice."Targeted sanctions will hit a Chinese conglomerate based on the North Korean border — Dandong Hongxiang Development Company. The U.S. Department of the Treasury says the firm has helped sanctions-blacklisted North Korean companies procure raw materials that could be used for nuclear weapons.The same company — along with three officials and the woman who runs it, Ma Xiaohong — has also been indicted on U.S. charges it served as a front for North Korean businesses trying to bank and trade, prohibited under sanctions.Chinese police announced a week ago they haveU.S. Targets Chinese Company For Supporting N. Korean Nuclear Programhttp://redriverradio.org/post/us-targets-chinese-company-supporting-n-korean-nuclear-program
83537 as http://redriverradio.orgTue, 27 Sep 2016 09:00:00 +0000U.S. Targets Chinese Company For Supporting N. Korean Nuclear ProgramElise HuThe ground had barely stopped shaking from North Korea's most recent nuclear test last week when the international condemnations began.President Obama called the test destabilizing and provocative. South Korean President Park Geun-hye said the test displayed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's "maniacal recklessness." Even North Korea's longtime ally China said it "resolutely" opposed the test.Almost as fast came calls for additional sanctions on the North. But North Korea is already one of the most heavily-sanctioned countries in the world. And so far, these punitive measures have yet to achieve their aim — forcing North Korea to denuclearize, or at least return to the negotiating table."It's the same response every time. I don't think we're getting a lot of innovative thinking," says Jim Walsh, an international security researcher at MIT, who along with Harvard's John Park looked into how sanctions work."We asked ... if sanctions are effective and if not, why not? What are theirThe 'Livelihood Loophole' And Other Weaknesses Of N. Korea Sanctions http://redriverradio.org/post/livelihood-loophole-and-other-weaknesses-n-korea-sanctions
83099 as http://redriverradio.orgThu, 15 Sep 2016 09:11:00 +0000The 'Livelihood Loophole' And Other Weaknesses Of N. Korea Sanctions Elise HuNorth Korea and South Korea maintain strict separation most everywhere in the world. Yet oddly, one of the few places they intersect is Laos, the small, communist nation that's long had ties with the North and now has growing links with the South."As strange as it sounds, Laos is kind of this remote battleground for inter-Korean politics or competition and diplomacy," says Sokeel Park, research director for Liberty in North Korea, a private South Korean organization that assists North Korean refugees.Laos rarely receives international attention. But it's in the spotlight this week as it hosts a gathering of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, which has drawn many heads of state, including President Obama.To find evidence of Laos' longstanding ties to North Korea, look no further than the dining establishments. Laos hosts a North Korean-run restaurant in the heart of Vientiane, the capital of Laos. These North Korean restaurants are part of the regime's money-makingLaos: A Remote Battleground For North And South Koreahttp://redriverradio.org/post/laos-remote-battleground-north-and-south-korea
82762 as http://redriverradio.orgWed, 07 Sep 2016 20:51:00 +0000Laos: A Remote Battleground For North And South KoreaElise HuLaos has a grim claim to fame, as the most heavily bombed country in history. And today, more than four decades after the U.S. dropped those armaments, millions of unexploded bombs remain.President Obama on Tuesday became the first sitting U.S. president to visit the small, communist Southeast Asian country and promised to double U.S. funding to help educate residents about the dangers and clear the bombs that remain in the ground."Given our history here, I believe the United States has a moral obligation to help Laos heal," Obama said in announcing a $90 million U.S. commitment over three years.In an exhibit in downtown Vientiane, dozens and dozens of round "bombies," each the size of a tennis ball, hang from the ceiling like necklaces. Bombies are submunitions; they eject from larger cluster bombs used in airstrikes.They are vestiges of the Vietnam War, which spread to Laos and still plagues the country to this day."Until now still, [Laotians] are being injured by the bombs," saysObama Pledges To Help 'Heal' Laos, Decades After U.S. Bombingshttp://redriverradio.org/post/obama-pledges-help-heal-laos-decades-after-us-bombings
82706 as http://redriverradio.orgTue, 06 Sep 2016 16:47:00 +0000Obama Pledges To Help 'Heal' Laos, Decades After U.S. BombingsElise HuRecently inaugurated Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is "expressing regret" for his comments at a fiery press conference, in which he called President Obama a "son of a bitch" or "son of a whore" (depending on how you translate the Tagalog) and threatened to swear at him in a planned bilateral meeting.The White House canceled the meeting shortly after Duterte's comments."We ... regret [the remarks] came across as a personal attack on the U.S. president," Duterte's office said in a statement issued Tuesday.The U.S. has been critical of Duterte's human rights record in his scant two months as president. At issue are the estimated 2,400 killings committed by police and vigilantes since Duterte was inaugurated June 30, according to National Police figures. He ran on a pledge to rid the Philippines of drug trafficking, and once he took office began a campaign in which thousands of people were rounded up and killed without due process. Some of the victims were tangentially related toPhilippine President Expresses 'Regret' For Cursing Obamahttp://redriverradio.org/post/philippines-president-expresses-regret-cursing-obama
82690 as http://redriverradio.orgTue, 06 Sep 2016 10:47:00 +0000Philippine President Expresses 'Regret' For Cursing ObamaElise HuThe North Korean regime's network of overseas restaurants have enjoyed a bit of renown this year, after the defection en masse of 13 restaurant workers from one of the Pyongyang dining outposts in Northeastern China this spring.Those restaurant workers are now in South Korea, having absconded in a coordinated defection that is the biggest mass-defection from North Korea in history.That North Korea-run restaurant from which the 12 waitresses and their manager escaped is now closed. But South Korea's government believes North Korea still operates more than 100 of these restaurants in a dozen countries that maintain diplomatic ties with Pyongyang, as they're a source of hard currency for the Kim Jong Un regime.The majority are in China. One of them is in the capital of Laos, Vientiane, where global leaders will be this week for a major Asia summit.Since I find myself in Laos, my Laotian local producer and I hopped over to Pyongyang Restaurant for lunch. It's only a few blocks away from Would You Like A Side Of Propaganda? Lunch At A North Korean Restauranthttp://redriverradio.org/post/would-you-side-propaganda-lunch-north-korean-restaurant
82665 as http://redriverradio.orgMon, 05 Sep 2016 17:12:00 +0000 Would You Like A Side Of Propaganda? Lunch At A North Korean RestaurantElise HuThe shops here in Vientiane, the capital of Laos, hum along without air conditioning, and there are as many tuk-tuks as taxis to take you where you want to go. The rather sleepy place is about to get shaken awake as throngs of global leaders, and their traveling entourages and press, descend on the small nation, starting Monday.Laos is hosting the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN summit, and the country will mark President Barack Obama's final stop in Asia as president."It's a truly historic event for U.S.-Lao relationships and for the people and country of Laos," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said in a preview of the trip.It's the first-ever visit to Laos by a sitting American president. And it's a place where the U.S. has a rather difficult history.Laos is the most bombed country, per capita, in history, after Americans dropped an estimated 2 million tons of munitions on the country during the Vietnam War, in an effort to disrupt the famous Ho Chih MinhTiny Laos Readies For A Visit From Obama — And A Turn Under The Global Spotlighthttp://redriverradio.org/post/tiny-laos-readies-visit-obama-and-turn-under-global-spotlight
82624 as http://redriverradio.orgSun, 04 Sep 2016 12:49:00 +0000Tiny Laos Readies For A Visit From Obama — And A Turn Under The Global SpotlightElise HuA zombie flick is smashing box office records in South Korea. Train to Busan has been seen by an estimated 11 million Koreans — a fifth of the population — and broken numerous records, including the highest single-day ticket sales in Korean film history.The plot isn't complicated: Everyday South Koreans find themselves trapped on a speeding bullet train with fast-multiplying zombies, creating the kind of claustrophobic feel that freshens up the zombie trope. But beyond a fast-paced summer thriller, it's also an extended critique of Korean society."We don't trust anyone but ourselves," says film critic Youn Sung-eun, who writes for the Busan Daily. Without giving too much of the story away, the film blames corporate callousness for the death toll. The government covers up the truth — or is largely absent. And the crew? Rather than rescue passengers, it follows the wishes of a businessman.In the film, those in charge — and the media— "are easily manipulated by others," Youn says, whichS. Korea's Hit Zombie Film Is Also A Searing Critique Of Korean Societyhttp://redriverradio.org/post/s-koreas-hit-zombie-film-also-searing-critique-korean-society
82495 as http://redriverradio.orgThu, 01 Sep 2016 09:07:00 +0000S. Korea's Hit Zombie Film Is Also A Searing Critique Of Korean SocietyElise HuAs part of the project A Nation Engaged, NPR and member stations are exploring America's role in the world heading into the presidential election.On a sweltering July morning, divers in full gear from the U.S. Navy's mobile diving and salvage unit jump one by one off a Pearl Harbor pier in Hawaii. Tethered to air supply hoses and armed with heavy equipment, the units dive about 20 feet deep into the Pacific to weld thick metal, a necessary skill in disasters or conflicts when ships or piers are damaged and need underwater repair.The divers train for this regularly. But this time, it's a little different. Just behind them underwater are Chinese naval officers from the People's Liberation Army Navy.This is all by design. The American Navy, the world's largest, invited the Chinese, along with 25 other naval forces from around the world, to its Rim of the Pacific naval exercise, or RIMPAC, a month-long drill that has taken place in Hawaii and Southern California every two years since 1971Rising Tensions? Yes, But The U.S. And Chinese Navies Are Training Togetherhttp://redriverradio.org/post/rising-tensions-yes-us-and-chinese-navies-are-training-together
82443 as http://redriverradio.orgWed, 31 Aug 2016 09:10:00 +0000Rising Tensions? Yes, But The U.S. And Chinese Navies Are Training Together